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UK Library threatens girl, 12, with debt collectors

Bad PR From the UK. Tessa said: "Luckily, my daughter is the kind of girl who shows me things, but what about other children who may be too worried to show their parents? Or children who may just forget the letter and leave it in their schoolbag?"

She added: "I was really angry at the wording of the letter. My daughter obviously has no means of paying the fine, so I assume as parents they would expect us to pay. However, without a notice sent to us directly, regarding our daughter's fine, how can we be expected to pay or be held liable?"

Comments

Why should children under 18 be free from debt collection action? Should they not be responsible for their library books? I think this is absurd. Of course sending a collection letter for 32p just for postage to collect 1.20 seems a bit silly. They should be able to refrain from sending letters until it reaches Â£3 or Â£5 or some less trifiling amount.

More importantly why is this in the news. So some twelve year old got a collection notice, are children in the UK so fragile that a dunning letter, even one sent in error as the books had reportedly been returned, can cause so much consternation that it makes the local broadsheet?